X: Xenophanic Poem

Xenophanes was an ancient Ionian/Greek philosopher and poet who lived roughly at the same time as Homer and Hesiod – in the pre-Socratic era of philosophy. While his name may be lesser known, his influence on philosophy and literature is not. His writing (such that remains; he eccentrically wrote almost nothing down) is marked by satire and witticism. The adjective Xenophanic hence refers to poets who make use of satire and witticism in their poems.

In India in recent years there has been a lot of news and outrage about assaults and rape of women, young and old and even infants. While it is deeply distressing, sometimes what is even more distressing is the reaction of our polititions and people (yes, women included). This, my first attempt to write anything satirical, is with regard to some of what we women and girls have been told over the years.